Non-contact radiant heating and temperature sensing device for a chemical reaction chamber

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and methods are provided for heating and sensing the temperature of a chemical reaction chamber without direct physical contact between a heating device and the reaction chamber, or between a temperature sensor and the reaction chamber. A plurality of chemical reaction chambers can simultaneously or sequentially be heated independently and monitored separately.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/218,223filed Aug. 25, 2011, now abandoned, which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 11/925,002 filed Oct. 26, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No.8,007,733, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/423,070filed Jun. 8, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,294,812, which is a continuationof application Ser. No. 11/006,131 filed Dec. 7, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No.7,173,218, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/359,668filed Feb. 6, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,833,536, which claims a benefitunder 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/382,502 filed May 22, 2002, all of which are incorporated herein intheir entirety by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for heating andsensing the temperature of a chemical reaction chamber.

BACKGROUND

Temperature control is a common requirement for biochemical reactions.Conventional temperature control designs typically require some form ofcontact (e.g., physical engagement) or interconnection (e.g., electricalconnectors) between an instrument and one or more discrete reactiondevices to perform the temperature control functions.

Such contact or interconnection, however, is not always practical ordesirable. For various purposes, a non-contact radiant heating andtemperature sensing device for a chemical reaction chamber may bedesirable.

All patents, applications, and publications mentioned here andthroughout the application are incorporated in their entireties byreference herein and form a part of the present application.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments provide a system that includes a non-contact radiantheater and a non-contact temperature sensor for a chemical orbiochemical reaction chamber. The heater can be designed to emitradiation having a wavelength of, for example, about 0.7 micrometer orlonger, or about 1.5 micrometers or longer. The heater can be, forexample, a laser source or a halogen light source. The sensor can detectradiant energy emitted from the reaction chamber without contacting thereaction chamber. According to various embodiments, the sensor candetect radiant energy having a wavelength of from about two micrometersto about 20 micrometers, for example, a wavelength of from about fivemicrometers to about 15 micrometers. The sensor can be, for example, anon-contact infrared pyrometer.

According to various embodiments, a non-contact heating and temperaturesensing system is provided for regulating temperature within a chemicalreaction chamber. The reaction chamber can be formed in a substrate orcan be fixed, secured, mounted, or otherwise attached or connected to asurface of a substrate or to a holder.

According to various embodiments, a method is provided whereby anon-contact radiant energy source is used to heat a reaction region toeffect or promote a chemical and/or biochemical reaction. The reactionregion can be within an analytical instrument such as a polymerase chainreaction (PCR) device, a medical diagnostic device, a DNA purificationinstrument, a protein or blood gas analyzer, or other instrument. Theenergy source can be designed to emit energy having a wavelengthsufficient to carry out a desired reaction or desired reaction rate. Forexample, according to various embodiments, the energy source emitsenergy having a wavelength of at least about 0.7 micrometer.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing description and thefollowing description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are notlimiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a radiant heater, biochemical reactionchamber, and radiant temperature sensor according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of a radiant heater, biochemical reactionchamber, radiant temperature sensor, and control system according tovarious embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a biochemical reaction chamberformed in a device substrate and having an aluminum film cover,according to various embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a biochemical reaction chamberformed in a device substrate and having a transparent film cover,according to various embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a biochemical reaction chamberformed in a device substrate and having a transparent film cover on bothsides of the device, according to various embodiments; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view of a rotating non-contact heatingand temperature-sensing system according to various embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

When energy is radiated from an object, the radiated energy can be usedaccording to various embodiments to make a determination of thetemperature of the object. The energy can be in the visible lightspectrum or in the non-visible light spectrum. As the energy strikes adetector in a sensor, a reaction occurs that can result in an electricalsignal output from the detector. The electrical output can be a signalthat can be processed, for example, amplified and/or linearized, asdesired, to calculate temperature according to common pyrometertechniques.

Some applicable circuits, signal processing systems, temperaturesensors, heaters, and related devices that can be useful in constructinga system according to various embodiments are described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,632,908; 5,232,667; 5,653,537; 5,882,903; 5,539,673; and6,022,141, which are incorporated herein in their entireties byreference.

According to various embodiments, a heating and temperature-sensingsystem is provided, for example, as shown in FIG. 1. The system of FIG.1 includes a first platform, first platform region, or radiant heaterplatform 30 that includes a heater support 32 supporting a non-contactradiant heater 10. The non-contact radiant heater 10 can emit radiantenergy 11 in a direction toward a chemical reaction chamber 12. Thereaction chamber 12 can be an individual chamber defined by sidewalls 13or can be formed in a substrate of an assembly or device (not shown inFIG. 1). The reaction chamber 12 can be supported by a device support 50that can include a holding feature such as, for example, a recess 52 asshown, for receiving and supporting the reaction chamber 12 for heatingthe reaction chamber 12. The holding feature instead or additionallyincludes a clamp, a threaded rod or threaded hole, a magnetic attachmentdevice, a suction or vacuum holding device, a snap-fit connection, arecess in a spinnable platen, or any other holding feature that would beapparent to one skilled in the art. The system can further include asecond platform or second platform region 40 having a support 42 forsupporting a non-contact radiant temperature sensor 14. Radiant energy15 emitted from the heated reaction chamber 12 radiates at least in adirection toward the non-contact temperature sensor 14 and is detectedby the temperature sensor 14.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, the radiantheater 10 can heat the reaction chamber 12 without physically contactingthe reaction chamber 12 or a reaction mixture in the reaction chamber12. The temperature sensor 14 can sense the temperature of the reactionchamber 12 and/or the contents of the reaction chamber 12 via radiantenergy emissions without contacting the reaction chamber 12.

The radiant heater 10 can be spaced away from the reaction chamber 12 bya distance of, for example, from about one millimeter to about 10 cm, ormore. The radiant heater 10 can be spaced away from the reaction chamber12 a distance of at least about two millimeters, for example, a distanceof from about five millimeters to about 20 mm away from the reactionchamber 12.

The temperature sensor 14 can be spaced away from the reaction chamber12 by a distance of, for example, from about one millimeter to about 10cm, or more. The temperature sensor 14 can be spaced away from thereaction chamber 12 a distance of at least about two millimeters, forexample, a distance of from about five millimeters to about 20 mm awayfrom the reaction chamber 12.

The distance of the radiant heater 10 from the reaction chamber 12 canbe the same as, or different than, the distance of the temperaturesensor 14 from the reaction chamber 12.

The device support 50, non-contact radiant heater support 32, and thetemperature sensor support 42, can be commonly secured, mounted,affixed, or otherwise attached to a common structure, such as thehousing for a work station. Exemplary work stations that can includevarious supports, whether or not directly or indirectly mounted to thework station housing, include devices to carry out PCR. Other exemplarywork stations or platforms that can be used or adopted for use include,for example, devices to heat-treat a heat-curable material such as gluedisposed between components of an assembly, and other instruments thatrequire heating.

The reaction chamber 12 can be adapted to hold samples, for example,fluids that can include, for example, polynucleotide primers,polynucleotide probes, nucleic acids, deoxyribonucleic acids,dideoxyribonucleic acids, ribonucleic acids, peptide nucleic acids,individual polynucleotides, buffers, other ingredients known or used inconjunction with PCR techniques, and combinations thereof. The reactionchamber 12 can be sealed sufficiently to prevent or minimize evaporationand contamination of a liquid sample, such as a PCR fluid, disposed inthe reaction chamber.

Herein, the “chemical reaction chamber” and “reaction chamber” caninclude, for example, any chamber, vessel, container, sample well,purification tray, microtiter tray, capsule, sample array, centrifugetube, or other containing, retaining, restraining, or confining device,without limitation, that is able to retain one or more chemicals orbiochemicals for a reaction thereof. The reaction chamber can be formedin a substrate or can be fixed, secured, mounted, or otherwise attachedor connected to a surface of a substrate or to a holder.

The reaction chamber can have a cylindrical shape, a cubical shape, arectangular shape, a parallelepiped shape, or any other shape. Thereaction chamber can comprise a reaction chamber in a microanalyticaldevice such as a card-type assay device. The volume of the reactionchamber can be, for example, from about 1 μl to about 10 ml, from about0.1 μl to about 1 ml, from about 0.1 μl to about 100 μl, or from about0.1 μl to about 10 μl.

The reaction chamber can have at least one dimension of about 600 μm orless, for example, a reaction chamber having at least one dimension ofabout 500 μm or less, or of about 400 μm or less, or of about 300 μm orless. For example, the reaction chamber can be cylindrical in shape, canhave a diameter of from about 0.5 mm to about 3.0 mm, for example, fromabout 1.0 mm to about 2.0 mm, and a depth of from about 100 μm to about600 μm, for example, from about 200 μm to about 500 μm.

According to various embodiments, the system can include a plurality ofnon-contact radiant heaters, a plurality of non-contact temperaturesensors, or a plurality of both. One reaction chamber can be heated andtemperature-sensed according to various embodiments of the presentinvention, or a plurality of reaction chambers can be heatedsimultaneously or sequentially and/or sensed simultaneously orsequentially.

The temperature range of the radiant heating device according to variousembodiments can be from about 20° C. up to and including about 100° C.,and can encompass the typical temperature ranges needed for conventionalbiochemical reactions, for example, temperatures desirable for PCRreactions, for example, between about 60° C. and about 95° C.

The radiant heating source according to various embodiments can operateto generate radiation in the infrared or near infrared region of theelectromagnetic radiation spectrum, for example, wavelengths of equal toor greater than about 0.5 micrometer, for example, equal to or greaterthan about 0.7 micrometer. The temperature sensor device of the presentinvention can, according to various embodiments, detect temperatures inthe infrared region of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum, that is,radiant energy of wavelengths of at least about five micrometers, forexample, from about five micrometers to about 15 micrometers.

According to various embodiments, the radiant heater can comprise alaser source, a halogen bulb, a lamp heater, and/or a photon or lightsource heater that emits radiation having a wavelength of at least about0.5 micrometer or greater, for example, at least about 0.7 micrometer.The radiant heater can unidirectionally emit a radiation beam toward thereaction chamber. According to such embodiments, the unidirectionalemission avoids wasting energy due to emissions in directions not towardthe reaction chamber.

The temperature sensor, according to various embodiments, can be athermopile and/or any other suitable optical temperature-sensing device.

FIG. 2 shows a temperature control system according to variousembodiments of the present invention that can be used to carry outmethods according to various embodiments. FIG. 2 shows a non-contactradiant heater 10, a chemical reaction chamber 12, a temperature sensor14, and a temperature control system 16. Also shown in FIG. 2 is acontrol mechanism 18 that is adapted to measure the actual temperature(T_(actual)) detected from the reaction chamber, for example, in degreesCentigrade (° C.), and is adapted to respond to a signal for a desiredor target temperature (T_(target)), for example, in degrees Centigrade.

According to various embodiments, the control unit 18 can be, forexample, a CPU or other processor or microprocessor. The control unitcan be adapted to determine, based on detector responses received fromthe temperature sensor, and/or in combination with the temperaturesensor, the temperature of the reaction chamber. The reaction chambertemperature can be determined from radiant energy exiting the reactionchamber through, for example, a transparent film or transparent wallthat at least partially defines the reaction chamber. The temperature ofthe reaction chamber can be determined from a measured radiant energyradiating from a black or opaque film, or a black or opaque wall, thatat least partially defines the reaction chamber. The control unit 18 canreceive a signal from the temperature sensor indicating the temperatureof the reaction chamber, and optionally can also record the temperaturedetected. The control unit 18 can be a computer (e.g., a programmedgeneral computer, or a special purpose computer) or a microprocessoradapted to send a command to the radiant heater to begin, increase,maintain, decrease, or end the radiant heat emission or output of theradiant heater. The control unit 18 can therefore be provided with amicroprocessor on which, or within which, is embedded a software programfor receiving and/or responding to signals or to pre-set conditions fortemperature maintenance. The radiant heater can be adapted or controlledwith the control unit to receive signals from the control unit 18, andrespond accordingly to begin, increase, maintain, decrease, or end theheat energy output.

According to various embodiments, the control unit 18 can also include atimer or a time-keeping program, or can be used in conjunction with atimer or a time-keeping program. The control unit 18 can be programmedto control the radiant output of the non-contact radiant heater based ona signal provided by the temperature sensor, the timer, the time-keepingprogram, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 3 shows a system according to various embodiments that includes achemical reaction chamber 12 having a length “a” that can be from aboutone micrometer up to and exceeding one centimeter, for example, fromabout one to about two millimeters. The dimension “a” can be a diameterif the reaction chamber is round, or a length if the reaction chamber islinear, square, rectangular, or the like. As in the embodiment of FIG.1, the reaction chamber 12 can be formed in a substrate 20 of anassembly 21.

According to various embodiments, materials useful for the assembly ofsubstrate 20 include those having structures and/or comprised ofmaterials that together provide a low thermal conductivity, for example,structures including a reaction chamber width (or diameter) to sidewalldepth ratio of greater than 1:1, and materials having a thermalconductivity of below about 1.0 W/m° C. Materials that can be used forthe substrate include, for example, polycarbonate, other plastics,glass, other thermally resistant materials, and combinations thereof.

According to various embodiments, the reaction chamber 12 can be closedon the top by a thin cover 22. The cover 22 can be rigid or flexible.The cover 22 can be optically transparent, translucent, or opaque, forexample, black in color. In various embodiments wherein the reactionchamber is at least partially defined by a cover, the cover can have,for example, a high thermal conductivity, e.g., a thermal conductivityof greater than about 1.0 W/m° C., and an emissivity of about 0.1 orhigher, for example, about 0.5 or higher, on a scale of from zero toone. Such materials can include, for example, an aluminum film blackenedon the top by anodizing, painting, or some other coating material ortechnique, or a thin black plastic film such as a pigmentedpolycarbonate. Because black-anodized aluminium has a high thermalconductivity (e.g., 1.0 W/m° C. or greater), it can be used as a thin orthick film cover, for example, as a film cover having a thickness offrom about 0.01 mm to about 1.0 mm or greater. A rigid plate, forexample, made of pigmented polycarbonate, can be used as the cover 22.Materials of low thermal conductivity (e.g., less than 1 W/m° C.) can beused as thin film covers provided they are thin enough to exhibit asuitable thermal conductivity, for example, an optically transparentpolycarbonate film having a thickness of from about 0.01 mm to about 1.0mm, for example, a thickness of from about 0.01 mm to about 0.5 mm.

Radiant energy can be used to heat the chemical materials by conductionthrough the cover 22 or by transmission of radiant energy through thecover in situations where, for example, the cover comprises an opticallytransparent or optically translucent material. Black or opaque coversthat absorb heat from the non-contact radiant heater can be used and canheat-up and conduct heat to components in a reaction chamber at leastpartially defined by the cover. The bottom surface 23 of the cover 22can be in direct contact with a reaction liquid or materials in thereaction chamber 12.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the radiant energy source 10 can emitradiation toward cover 22. In various embodiments, the cover 22 can beblack or opaque and can absorb heat from the non-contact radiant heater,then conduct the heat to the underlying or adjacent reaction chamber andcomponents therein. In various embodiments, the cover 22 can beoptically transparent or optically translucent and can transmit heatradiated from the non-contact radiant heater through the cover 22, andheat the reaction chamber or components therein without the need toconduct heat from the cover 22 into the reaction chamber. In variousembodiments, the cover 22 is removed or absent and the radiation fromthe radiant energy heating source 10 strikes and heats directly thechemical materials in the reaction chamber 12, or strikes and heats thedesired materials after passing through a transparent, nonheat-absorbing film or other cover. According to various embodiments,there is no direct physical contact between the radiant energy heatingsource 10 and either the reacting materials in reaction chamber 12 orthe cover film 22.

The temperature sensor 14 shown in FIG. 3 can operate on the same sideof the substrate 20 as the heating source 10, as shown. The sensor cansense or detect the temperature of the cover 22 that in turn is aboutthe same as, or correlates in a known manner to, the temperature in theinterior of the reaction chamber 12.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment, including an assembly 121 having areaction chamber 112 similar to the chamber 12 shown in FIG. 3. Theassembly 121 includes a thin transparent film cover 123. The film cover123 can include a transparent film, for example, of polycarbonate,polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, other plastics, copolymers,composites thereof, combinations thereof, and the like. According to theembodiment of FIG. 4, radiant energy passes through the transparentcover film 123 from a radiant heater 10 to heat reacting materialcontained beneath the cover 123 and within the reaction chamber 112 insubstrate 120. A temperature sensor 14 detects radiation emitted fromthe reaction chamber 112 that radiates outwardly through the cover 123.The cover film 123 can, according to various embodiments, be of anysuitable thickness, for example, less than or equal to 2.0 mm, or lessthan 1.0 mm. According to various embodiments wherein the cover 123 isoptically transparent or optically translucent, the cover can exhibit anemissivity high enough to transmit radiant heat indicative of thetemperature of the reaction chamber from the reaction chamber toward thenon-contact radiant temperature sensor.

According to various embodiments wherein the cover 123 is black oropaque, the cover can exhibit an emissivity high enough to absorb heatfrom the reaction chamber and, in turn, radiate heat indicative of thetemperature of the reaction chamber toward the non-contact radianttemperature sensor. The cover 123 can have an emissivity of about 0.1 orhigher, for example, about 0.5 or higher, or 0.75 or higher, on a scaleof from zero to one. Such materials can include, for example, analuminum film blackened on the top by anodizing, painting, or some othercoating material or technique, or a thin black plastic film such as apigmented polycarbonate.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an assembly 221 including a chemicalreaction chamber 212 having a film cover 222 and a film cover 223. Thematerials for covers 222 and 223 can be, for example, opticallytransparent, optically translucent, opaque, black, or a combinationthereof, as described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4. The film cover222 can be, for example, an optically transparent or opticallytranslucent film on the top side 224 of the substrate 220, and the filmcover 223 can be, for example, an opaque or black film cover 223 on abottom side 226 of the substrate 220. FIG. 5 depicts the chemicalreaction chamber 212 as a through-hole 228 in the substrate 220. Thethrough-hole 228 is sealed with the covers 222 and 223. The radiantheater 10 and temperature sensor 14 can be placed on opposite sides ofthe assembly 221 and can be located at different positions of thereaction chamber. According to various embodiments, the radiant heater10 and the temperature sensor 14 are coaxially aligned and in use can beused in an alternating manner such that the temperature sensor can sensethe temperature of the reaction chamber while the non-contact radiantheater is not heating the reaction chamber.

As shown in FIG. 5, the non-contact temperature sensor 14 receivesradiant energy from directions encompassed by a line of sight or fieldof view 250. According to various embodiments, the field of view 250 ofthe non-contact radiant temperature sensor 14 can diverge conicallytoward the reaction chamber 212 and intersect with a first surface 230of film cover 223 in an area having a diameter D referred to herein asthe field of view viewing area. The field of view can intersect thereaction chamber or an outer wall thereof in a viewing area having ashape other than circular, but having a diameter. To minimize backgroundradiation that can affect or distort the temperature sensed bynon-contact temperature sensor 14, the periphery of the field of view ofthe sensor can be wholly encompassed by a surface. For example, theperiphery of the field of view can (e.g., an outer surface) of thereaction chamber being sensed. For example, the periphery of the fieldof view can fall wholly on a portion of a film cover surface thatdefines the reaction chamber, as shown in FIG. 5.

The field of view viewing area at the surface of the reaction chambercan be smaller than the area of the reaction chamber wall or surfacebeing temperature-sensed. The field of view viewing area can wholly fallwithin a corresponding reaction chamber or reaction chamber surfacehaving an optically transparent or optically translucent film cover thatis adjacent the reaction chamber. The field of view viewing area canhave an area that is larger, smaller, or the same area as the area of acorresponding reaction chamber surface or reaction chamber film coversurface to be temperature-sensed. The ratio of the field of view viewingarea to the reaction chamber surface area can be from about 2:1 to about1:20, for example, from about 1:10 to about 9:10, from about 1:6 toabout 1:2, or from about 1:5 to about 1:3. The field of view viewingarea can have a diameter or smallest dimension, for example, of fromabout 0.1 mm to about 10 mm or greater, for example, a diameter orsmallest dimension of from about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm, or from about 1.0mm to about 2.0 mm. Exemplary non-contact radiant heaters that can beused according to various embodiments include those described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,232,667 and 6,367,972, which are incorporated herein intheir entireties by reference. Exemplary sensors that can be usedinclude infrared sensors having a focused line of sight.

According to various embodiments, the reaction chamber can be within adevice that is covered with a cover, such as, but not limited to, ametal cover. Exemplary metal covers for the reaction chamber include ablack aluminum cover that can receive radiant energy from the radiantheater, according to various embodiments.

In various embodiments, the reaction chamber can be in a device that iscovered, at least in part, with a transparent film. Thin films, such asfilms of 0.1 mm thickness or less, are useful as covers for the reactionchamber of various embodiments. Such a thin film can comprise, but isnot limited to, a plastic such as polycarbonate, or any other materialoptically transparent to a wavelength, that is, which transmits about100% of the energy of the wavelength desired for heating reactants inthe chemical reaction chamber.

The assembly designs depicted in FIGS. 3-5 can accommodate, according tovarious embodiments, two or more chemical reaction chambers. Heating andtemperature sensing of a plurality of chemical reaction chamberstogether can be accomplished by various embodiments. Each reactionchamber of a plurality of reaction chambers can be moved in turn under asingle non-contact radiant heater, or can be aligned with a respectivenon-contact radiant heater. Each reaction chamber of a plurality ofreaction chambers can be lined up with a temperature-sensing device, oreach reaction chamber of a plurality of reaction chambers can belined-up with a respective temperature sensor. According to variousembodiments, a plurality of reaction chambers can be arranged in aheatable device, for example, a microfluidic analytical device such as amicrocard device, and together rotated about an axis of rotation centralto the heatable device or a platform holding the device. An example ofsuch a device is shown in FIG. 6.

In various embodiments, a non-contact radiant heating andtemperature-sensing system 590 is provided, as shown in FIG. 6. Thesystem 590 can include a rotatable heating assembly 600. Any number ofindividual non-contact radiant heaters 602 can be mounted, fixed,connected, attached, or otherwise supported by or secured to the heaterassembly 600. The heater assembly 600 can be rotated about an axis ofrotation 601 on a shaft 604. An appropriate motor and drive system canbe provided to rotate the shaft 604 and corresponding heater assembly600 as desired. Appropriate circuitry and electronics can be provided toselectively activate one or more of the individual heaters 602 of theheater assembly 600 and/or to coordinate a sequence of activations ofthe various heaters. In FIG. 6, non-contact radiant heater 602′ is theonly heater of the heater assembly 600 that is shown emitting radiantheat 606 in the drawing. Radiant heat 606 can be directed, for example,by rotation of heater assembly 600, so as to radiate, for example,linearly, toward a reaction chamber 622′.

Reaction chamber 622′ can be one of a plurality of reaction chambers 622in a reaction chamber assembly 620. Although the heater assembly 600 canbe spaced-apart from the reaction chamber assembly 620 in theproportions shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the system590, and the distance between heater 602′ and reaction chamber 622′ canbe from about 0.1 mm to about 100 mm, for example, from about 1 mm toabout 30 mm, or from about 5 mm to about 20 mm. Reaction chamberassembly 620 can be supported for rotation about axis of rotation 601 bya support device 630 that can include a support arm 632, a motor, andtransmission components (not shown) to rotate the reaction chamberassembly 620. Motor and transmission components can be provided thatrotate the reaction chamber assembly 620 to position one or more of thereaction chambers 622 with respect to one or more of the non-contactradiant heaters 602, and/or to spin the reaction chamber assembly 620 atrpms sufficient to effect a centripetal manipulation of a sample in areaction chamber. The reaction chamber assembly can be spun at speeds of100 rpm or greater, for example, speeds of 1000 rpm or greater, 3000 rpmor greater, or 5000 rpm or greater.

According to various embodiments, a heated reaction chamber 622″ can betemperature-sensed by a non-contact radiant temperature sensor 610′ atthe same time that the non-contact radiant heater 602′ heats reactionchamber 622′. Non-contact radiant heater 602′ can be activated at thesame time that sensor 610′ is activated so that heat from reactionchamber 622′ does not distort sensing of temperature by sensor 610′.Non-contact radiant temperature sensor 610′ can be one of manytemperature sensors 610 commonly supported, mounted, connected,attached, or otherwise affixed or secured to a temperature-sensingassembly 608. Although the temperature-sensing assembly 608 can bespaced-apart from the reaction chamber assembly 620 in the proportionsshown in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the system 590. Thetemperature-sensing assembly 608 can be spaced, for example, from about0.1 mm to about 100 mm away from the reaction chamber assembly 620, forexample, from about 1 mm to about 30 mm, or from about 5 mm to about 20mm away from the reaction chamber assembly 620. Temperature-sensingassembly 608 can be rotated about the axis of rotation 601 by a motorand transmission system that rotates a shaft 612 attached to thetemperature-sensing assembly 608 for rotation of the same.

Each of the heater assembly 600, reaction chamber assembly 620, andtemperature sensing assembly 608 can independently be stationary orrotatable. For example, one or more of these three assemblies or allthree assemblies, can be rotated about an axis of rotation 601 to effectany of various alignments of the non-contact radiant heaters 602 and/orthe non-contact temperature sensors 610 with the various reactionchambers 622. One or more of the heater assembly 600, reaction chamberassembly 620, and temperature sensing assembly 608 can be provided witha rotatable platform so that one or more of the heater assembly 600,reaction chamber assembly 620, and temperature sensing assembly 608 canbe rotated individually or jointly about axis of rotation 601, as shown.One or more of the heater assembly 600, reaction chamber assembly 620,and temperature sensing assembly 608 can be stationarily supported on,for example, a platform or a support, for example, shaft 604 as shown inFIG. 6. A control system can be included to activate one or more of thenon-contact radiant heaters 602 in response to a signal providedindicative of one or more temperatures of one or more of the reactionchambers 622. A plurality of the non-contact radiant heaters can beactivated sequentially or simultaneously in response to detectedtemperatures of a corresponding plurality of reaction chambers 622.

According to various embodiments such as shown in FIG. 6, the system canheat and control the temperatures of the plurality of chemical reactionchambers individually. The plurality of reaction chambers can beindividually cooled, or cooled together by any of a variety of coolingapparatus and methods. For example, cool or ambient air or fluid can bedirected toward the reaction chambers, a cooling fan can be provided toblow a cooling fluid at the reaction chambers, the reaction chambers canbe spun and cooled by the spinning action in ambient or cool air, thereaction chambers can be immersed in a cooling liquid, the reactionchambers can cooled by conduction against a cooling surface, or anyother suitable cooling device or cooling method can be used. Such adesign also allows each reaction chamber to be monitored individually.An assembly can be provided, according to various embodiments, wherein aseparate radiant heater and a separate heat sensor are provided for eachof a plurality of reaction chambers. The radiant heater can be positionmounted on a static or on a movable platform. The heat sensor can beposition mounted on a static or a movable platform.

In embodiments such as those shown in FIGS. 3-5, and wherein multipleheaters and sensors are used, the radiant or optical heating sources 10and the temperature sensors 14 can be operated either simultaneously oralternately. Alternate operation of the heater 10 and sensor 14 can beused to reduce detection by the sensor of radiation that might bereflected by a cover in embodiments where a non-contact radiant heaterand a non-contact temperature sensor are used on the same side of areaction chamber. Alternate heating and temperature sensing can alsoreduce or eliminate the sensing of radiant heat emanating from thenon-contact radiant heater and not from the reaction chamber.

According to various embodiments, method of non-contact heating andtemperature sensing are provided for conducting a chemical reaction. Forexample, the method can involve (i) directing radiation towards areaction mixture from a radiant heating source spaced away from thereaction mixture; (ii) detecting radiation emanating from the reactionmixture, and (iii) determining the temperature of the reaction mixturebased on the detected radiation. The method can include directingradiation toward a reaction mixture in a reaction chamber having avolume of less than about 10 ml, for example, having a volume of fromabout 1.0 μl to about 10 μl. The method can include detecting radiationwith a temperature sensor having a field of view viewing area diameterof from about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm, for example, of from about 1.0 mmto about 2.0 mm. The method can include directing radiation toward areaction mixture in a reaction chamber having at least one dimension ofabout 600 μm or less, for example, a reaction chamber having at leastone dimension of about 500 μm or less, of about 400 μm or less, or ofabout 300 μm or less.

According to various embodiments, a method can be provided that caninclude providing a non-contact heating and temperature sensing systemfor a chemical reaction chamber, wherein the system can include: i) asource of radiant energy that emits radiation having a wavelength of atleast about 0.7 micrometer; ii) a temperature sensor able to detectradiant energy without contacting the source of the radiant energy,wherein the sensor can detect a wavelength of at least about fivemicrometers; and (iii) a chemical reaction chamber arranged to receiveradiant energy emitted from the source and to emit radiant energy towardthe sensor.

According to various embodiments, the method can include providing oneor more chemical or biochemical materials in the chemical reactionchamber, causing the source of radiant energy to emit radiation with awavelength of at least about 0.7 micrometer in at least a directiontoward the reaction chamber, whereby the emitted radiation directly orindirectly irradiates, illuminates, or otherwise heats the chemical orbiochemical materials in the chemical reaction chamber, and measuringthe temperature of the chemical or biochemical materials by detectingthe radiant energy emitted from the chemical or biochemical materialswith the temperature sensor.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, the radiantheating and sensing methods allow two or more chemical reaction chambersto be maintained simultaneously at different temperatures. The systemfor such a method can include a control unit for controlling variousheaters and various temperatures simultaneously.

The radiant heating and temperature sensing is not dependent uponcontact between a chemical reaction device and thermal components. Thenon-contact technique allows a heatable device to be easily moved insidea chemical reaction instrument or system and to be easily removed fromthe instrument or system. The heatable device can also be easilyreplaced after use.

In other various embodiments, a plurality of reaction chambers isconveyed to and from heating and temperature sensing regions on acontinuous belt or line, such as on a conveyor belt.

Other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practiceof the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specificationand examples be considered as exemplary only.

1. A thermal cycling system comprising: a non-contact radiant heaterassembly having at least one non-contact radiant heater; a non-contacttemperature sensing assembly having at least one non-contact radianttemperature sensor; and a rotatable device assembly comprising aplurality of biochemical reactions chambers, wherein the device ispositioned between the non-contact rotatable heater assembly and therotatable temperature sensing assembly; wherein the non-contact radiantheater assembly, the temperature sensing assembly, and the rotatabledevice assembly are aligned.
 2. The thermal cycling system of claim 1,further comprising a support device for supporting the rotatable deviceassembly.
 3. The thermal cycling system of claim 2, wherein the supportdevice is configured to rotate the device assembly.
 4. The thermalcycling system of claim 3, wherein the device assembly is rotated toposition at least one of the plurality of biochemical reaction chamberswith respect to the at least one non-contact radiant heater of thenon-contact radiant heater assembly.
 5. The thermal cycling system ofclaim 3, wherein the device assembly is rotated to position at least oneof the plurality of biochemical reaction chambers with respect to the atleast one non-contact radiant temperature sensor of the non-contacttemperature sensing assembly.
 6. The thermal cycling system of claim 3wherein the support device rotates the device assembly at a speed of atleast about 1000 rpm.
 7. The thermal cycling system of claim 3, whereinthe support device rotates the device assembly at a speed sufficient toeffect a centripetal manipulation of a sample in at least one of theplurality of biochemical reaction chambers.
 8. The thermal cyclingsystem of claim 1, wherein the radiant heater assembly is configured tobe rotated.
 9. The thermal cycling system of claim 8, wherein thetemperature sensing assembly is configured to be rotated.
 10. Thethermal cycling system of claim 9, wherein the non-contact radiantheater assembly, the temperature sensing assembly, and the deviceassembly are configured to be rotated about a common axis.